Chapter 444: Rapid Progress

On the Saturday of the second week, while TVB had yet to introduce any Japanese anime, Global TV continued to air the *Dragon Ball* anime as usual.

With a week of word-of-mouth buildup and media effect, the viewership rating for the third episode of the second installment surpassed the rating of the first episode from the previous week even before it aired, breaking through 20% and reaching 23.7%.

Less than five minutes into the broadcast, the rating surged to 30%, slightly higher than the highest rating of the previous week.

It was clear that the viewers from the previous week were punctual this week, glued to their TVs by the anime.

The ratings continued to rise, with commercial breaks between episodes three and four achieving a rating of 32.2%. By the end of the second episode, the highest rating reached 33.8%, with an average rating of 32.5%!

This meant that more than 32.5% of households in Hong Kong were watching the *Dragon Ball* anime during this time slot.

Considering the demographics, this was not surprising. In Hong Kong, families with children definitely accounted for more than 50%. Given the influence of *Zhiyin Manhua* among teenagers in Hong Kong, it was quite normal for over half of the children to watch the *Dragon Ball* anime!

When the ratings were released, Huang Xizhao could not stop laughing!

This rating was definitely enough to claim the top spot for TV program ratings in 1978!

This justified the extensive promotional efforts of the group!

"Boss, I'm confident that even with reruns, we'll still have over 20% viewership. Crushing TVB in the same time slot won't be a problem!"

Huang Xizhao said with a full smile, assuredly to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu nodded with a smile, put down the viewership statistics, and said appreciatively, "An anime program achieving the top rating of the year, this is a first! You and your team have done well!"

Pleased with the boss's praise, Huang Xizhao's smile grew even brighter.

"Currently, Global TV only has the local Chinese channel and the local English channel. The international channel will be launched later, but it will definitely be faster than TVB. However, this doesn't mean we can only have two channels in Hong Kong!"

"If we have enough content, we can definitely launch HTV-2 or HTV-3 channels, or even subdivide into HTV-Kids, HTV-Movies, and other channels!"

Xia Yu's smile faded, his expression becoming serious as he looked at Huang Xizhao with encouraging and expectant eyes.

The relaxed Huang Xizhao was immediately awakened, nodding earnestly and assuring, "Boss, don't worry, I will work hard to achieve this goal!"

"Mm!"

"Boss, I also have good news to report!"

"I personally negotiated with Jin Yong and acquired the exclusive TV adaptation rights for all his works. Initially, he agreed for five years, but I managed to extend it to ten years. Gu Long was easier; we secured the adaptation rights outside Taiwan for thirty years, and we're still negotiating with Wen Ruian and Liang Yusheng, and the progress is good!"

Huang Xizhao said with a smile.

"Oh? Well done! Very efficient!"

Xia Yu was a bit surprised by Huang Xizhao's quick accomplishment, then praised him and felt completely reassured.

Among the wuxia novel masters, Jin Yong and Gu Long had the most significant influence, one in Hong Kong and one in Taiwan.

In future TV adaptations, the influence and adaptation value of these two were the highest. Now that both had been secured by Global TV, even if Wen Ruian and Liang Yusheng were not acquired, Xia Yu wouldn't mind.

Of course, securing them would be ideal, sealing off any chances for TVB! It would be best not to leave them any opportunities!

Although Jin Yong's exclusive adaptation rights were only for ten years, Xia Yu was not concerned. In ten years, he was confident that Global TV would become a towering tree, and even if Jin Yong's works were no longer available, he was not worried that TVB could turn the tide!

Moreover, he did not believe that TVB could surpass Global TV in ten years!

This was extreme confidence in his own strength and future!

"Keep pushing forward. Copyrights are a form of foundation. The more we secure, the better!"

Xia Yu instructed.

"Understood!"

Huang Xizhao solemnly assured.

"By the way, how is the progress of adapting *Tian Can Bian* and *Searching for the Qin*?"

Xia Yu suddenly asked.

"Sorry, Boss. I assigned the tasks but have been busy with other matters these days and haven't had a chance to ask."

Huang Xizhao said with an apologetic expression.

"It's okay. Let's go and check!"

Xia Yu said nonchalantly, then took Huang Xizhao to the editing department.

Upon entering, they saw eight people, including Mai Danxiong and Li Zhaoxiong, energetically discussing the plot. When they saw the boss arrive, everyone immediately stopped their discussion, stood up, and greeted respectfully.

"Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, it seems the progress is good!"

Xia Yu let everyone sit down and said with a smile.

The editing department had eight people, some of whom were transferred from Jia Shi and others who had joined from outside.

Eight elite editors made for a decent team!

Editors with lesser abilities had not yet qualified to join the highest-level discussion group of the editing department and were assigned tasks under the elite editors.

In total, the entire editing department, from high-level to mid-low levels, comprised nearly thirty people, both full-time and part-time.

"Boss, everyone worked together, and the progress is relatively fast. We have already completed the script for twenty-eight episodes of *Tian Can Bian*, and for *Searching for the Qin*, we have completed twenty episodes of the script."

Mai Danxiong, who had a slightly higher status, reported truthfully.

"So fast? Let me see the scripts!"

"Boss, please take a look. Here are the original scripts!"

Receiving the two bound scripts, Xia Yu flipped through them with a relaxed mood.

He was relaxed, but everyone present was holding their breath, full of anticipation and nervousness.

Xia Yu could understand the scripts, so he had no trouble flipping through them. After carefully reading more than ten pages, and skimming through a few more, he showed a satisfied smile.

"Not bad, it's very well written. Everyone put in a lot of effort!"

Xia Yu put down the scripts and said with praise.

"Thank you for the compliment, Boss!"

Hearing the praise, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, responding in unison.

"How long until these two scripts are completed?"

Xia Yu asked casually.

Everyone exchanged glances, and finally, Mai Danxiong, who had more authority, spoke up since *Tian Can Bian* was his initiative and he knew the situation best.

Mai Danxiong thought for a moment and said, "At most two weeks, both scripts will be ready for filming!"

"Looks like the speed is quite good!"

"Xizhao, set up the filming team immediately. As soon as the scripts are ready, start filming both shows together!"

Xia Yu nodded slightly and, after thinking, instructed Huang Xizhao.

"Okay! I'll start arranging today!"

Huang Xizhao nodded seriously.

After taking one last look, Xia Yu did not disturb the scriptwriting further. After encouraging everyone a bit, he left the editing department.

Once outside, Xia Yu instructed Huang Xizhao, "Their progress is fast. Since we've bought all the novels, let's convert them all into TV scripts first."

"Prioritize adapting *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* and *The Return of the Condor Heroes*. Once completed, we can adapt the others into scripts, so that when it's time to film, we can immediately start shooting!"

"Don't worry, Boss. I will arrange it properly!"

Huang Xizhao said respectfully.

Xia Yu's eyes showed a hint of satisfaction, and he nodded with a smile.